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According to new research, taking a break can be a crucial step to having more ideas. Over at Harvard Business Review, author David Burkus explains exactly why breaks lead to breakthroughs:

The researchers found that the group given a break to work on an unrelated task (the Myers-Briggs test) generated the most ideas…One possible explanation for these findings is that…When you work on a problem continuously, you can become fixated on previous solutions….Taking a break from the problem and focusing on something else entirely gives the mind some time to release its fixation on the same solutions and let the old pathways fade from memory. Then, when you return to the original problem, your mind is more open to new possibilities – eureka moments.

The next time you feel yourself struggling to breakthrough a project, get up from your desk and work on something else. Read more about the research behind eureka moments and why it works on HBR.